Alcohol beverages, being important beverages that improve communication in human society, are essential for social life. This is also clear from the fact that alcohol beverages are offered at many religious or ceremonial functions. It is not too much to say that alcohol beverages are a part of the culture.
However, it is also a clear fact that excess alcohol intake imposes a burden on health and economy. Illnesses thought to be caused by excess intake of alcohol beverages represent 9% of all illnesses, and there is also a report stating that the loss reaches 7 trillion yen per year in Japan. To this report, there is also a counterargument that positive effects brought about by moderate alcohol beverage intake are not evaluated, and a quantitative evaluation of health hazards is challenging.
Meanwhile, alcohol beverage intake, if not directly causes health hazards, clearly generates one's malfunction or social losses due to hangovers. In a research in England, social losses limited, to work absences due to hangovers are calculated at 240 billion yen.
From such background, a method for pleasantly consuming alcohol beverages without having a hangover is not simply a desire of alcohol drinkers but also a social demand.
As a prophylactic measure of hangovers, investigations with pharmaceuticals such as tolfenamic acid have been performed. In addition, investigations by natural ingredients such as dry yeast, prickly pear, and turmeric have also been performed as a prophylactic measure of hangovers. Although there is also a report stating that a certain effect was identified for prickly pear, it is also clear that its effect is insufficient since it has shown no signs of gaining popularity.
Acetaldehyde which is an ethyl alcohol metabolism intermediate is said to be the main cause of hangovers. Accordingly, low enzyme activity of aldehyde dehydratase is said to be the cause of hangovers. However, since for example hangover symptoms are diverse and symptoms vary depending on the type of alcohol beverage, the mechanism of hangover cannot be described merely by acetaldehyde.
Moreover, although it is common to be thought that the cause of hangover is attributed to the liver function since many of drug metabolisms take place in the liver, in light of the fact that the two major symptoms of hangovers are retching and headache, it cannot be deemed that improvement of liver function by itself will allow prevention of hangovers.
The development of a truly effective hangover prophylactic and/or therapeutic agent has been much awaited from drinkers as well as as a social demand.